RESUMO
Sulindac analogs represent one of the most efficacious groups of NSAIDs reducing the risk of colon cancer. Recent studies have shown that sulindac sulfide, a sulindac analog effective at lower doses compared to its parent compound, triggers the death receptor (DR)5-dependent extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Induction of apoptosis via activation of the DR-mediated pathway would be an ideal therapeutic strategy to eliminate cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the possibility that colon cancer cells are sensitized to sulindac sulfide-induced apoptosis by docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), via activation of the DR/extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Our data demonstrated that DHA combination sensitized colon cancer cells to sulindac sulfide-induced apoptosis, leading to enhanced growth suppression of human colon cancer xenografts. The combination effect was primarily attributed to increased cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-8 activation. Moreover, pretreatment with z-IETD-FMK (caspase-8 inhibitor) or stable expression of dominant negative caspase-8 genes blocked DHA/sulindac sulfide cotreatment-induced apoptosis. In view of the finding that DR5 silencing abrogated the combination-stimulated apoptosis, we propose that apoptotic synergy induced by sulindac sulfide plus DHA is mediated via DR5. Our findings collectively support the utility of a combination of sulindac sulfide and DHA in the effective prevention and treatment of colon cancer.
Assuntos
Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias do Colo/tratamento farmacológico , Ácidos Docosa-Hexaenoicos/farmacologia , Sulindaco/análogos & derivados , Animais , Anti-Inflamatórios não Esteroides/farmacologia , Anti-Inflamatórios não Esteroides/uso terapêutico , Caspase 8/biossíntese , Caspase 8/metabolismo , Inibidores de Caspase , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Ácidos Docosa-Hexaenoicos/uso terapêutico , Sinergismo Farmacológico , Feminino , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Oligopeptídeos/farmacologia , Poli(ADP-Ribose) Polimerases/metabolismo , Interferência de RNA , RNA Interferente Pequeno , Receptores do Ligante Indutor de Apoptose Relacionado a TNF/genética , Receptores do Ligante Indutor de Apoptose Relacionado a TNF/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Sulindaco/farmacologia , Sulindaco/uso terapêutico , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de XenoenxertoRESUMO
Sulindac sulfone (also known as exisulind) and its chemical derivatives are promising anticancer agents capable of inducing apoptosis in a variety of malignant cell types with minimal toxicity to normal cells. Here, we tested the ability of alpha-tocopheryl succinate (TOS), another promising anticancer agent, to sensitize colon cancer cells to exisulind-induced apoptosis. We found that sub-apoptotic doses of TOS greatly enhanced exisulind-induced growth suppression and apoptosis in the HCT116, LoVo and SNU-C4 human colon cancer cell lines. Our results revealed that this was accounted for primarily by an augmented cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and enhanced activation of caspase-8, -9 and -3. Pretreatment with z-VAD-FMK (a pan-caspase inhibitor), z-IETD-FMK (a caspase-8 inhibitor) or z-LEHD-FMK (a caspase-9 inhibitor) blocked TOS and exisulind cotreatment-induced PARP cleavage and apoptosis. Furthermore, TOS/exisulind cotreatment induced JNK phosphorylation, while pretreatment with SP600151 (a JNK inhibitor) partially blocked cotreatment-induced caspase-dependent PARP cleavage and apoptosis. Taken together, these findings indicate that TOS sensitizes human colon cancer cells to exisulind-induced apoptosis. Apoptotic synergy induced by exisulind plus TOS seems likely to be mediated through a mechanism involving activation of caspases and JNK.